DuPage Forest District to see leadership changes

Decision looms about hiring a new executive director

November 15, 2012|By Bob Goldsborough, Special to the Tribune

With a decision looming about hiring a new executive director and terminating a contract with an outside political consulting firm, the DuPage County Forest Preserve District has some upcoming leadership changes on the horizon.

Now, after this month's elections, it can add significant board turnover to that list. On Nov. 6, three new commissioners won election, giving the board its biggest turnover since it separated from the DuPage County Board in 2002.

Elected were newcomers Tim Whelan of Wheaton, Mary Lou Wehrli of Naperville and Shannon Burns of unincorporated West Chicago. Voters also returned Republicans Marsha Murphy of Addison, Joseph Cantore of Oakbrook Terrace and Linda Painter of Hinsdale to the board.

Burns, who edged Republican Al Murphy of West Chicago in District 6, will become the board's first Democrat.

The six commissioners will join longtime board President Dewey Pierotti, who was not on the ballot. Pierotti said he was looking forward to new perspectives and ideas from the three newcomers.

"They're going to bring a fresh outlook," he said. "I'm excited about this. They're going to bring some new ideas or, to use that cliche, fresh blood, and we'll see how we go from there."

Whelan said he sees the district's mission shifting from land acquisition to preservation and maintenance, along with educating the public about the preserves. He continued to emphasize his desire to see the district put together a 20-year plan that takes into account financial projections as well as the roles of the president, commissioners and other officials.

Whelan also said he and a majority of the new board favor hiring a new executive director. Pierotti has been the district's acting executive director for six months, since Brent Manning retired.

A longtime fixture at board meetings, Burns became involved after the district announced plans for a maintenance garage in Blackwell Forest Preserve, near Burns' home. She downplayed her status as a Democrat, noting that she has strong relationships with Republicans on the board, including Pierotti.

"The forest preserve is one place where party politics has no agenda," she said. "I'm hopeful that we can all settle down pretty quickly and get started working together."

Burns, who has been certified by the Morton Arboretum as a woodland steward, echoed Whelan's view about the emphasis on maintenance and preservation. She also is focusing on whether the district should continue to spend money maintaining buildings.

"One of my big campaign issues was that the district spends too much money on things not directly related to land management," she said.

Burns also said she'd like to see the district improve communication with the public. Indeed, public communication has been a controversial topic. The district still is reeling from its biggest scandal in history, after two former information technology department employees and a former contractor recently were charged in an elaborate bid-rigging scheme that bilked the district out of more than $150,000.

As the scandal unfolded, the district hired political consulting firm Reverse Spin to a one-year contract. However, Reverse Spin became a controversy all its own because of concerns by some citizens about the firm's ties to some state Republicans. As such, Pierotti said, the district will not renew the contract.

Separately, an outside consulting firm is evaluating all district departments looking for areas of improvement, Pierotti said. Another issue the new board will face is whether to have an in-house attorney, he said.

A clear majority of the new board, including Pierotti, favors hiring an executive director. However, Pierotti said he wants a professional manager to lead the agency's day-to-day operations.

"We have enough people with backgrounds in various environmental sciences," he said. "We need more of a person who is a village manager type, in charge of running everyday operations with a specific emphasis on long-term financial planning and taking the advice of the experts we have on staff who are making environmental decisions."